NOTES. 261 



Ireland. — Co. Waterford. — Crossbills were resident here at 

 Cappagh, co. Waterford, and bred regularly from 1888 

 to 1904, after which they were only observed on a few 

 occasions until this year, 1909. I give our observations 

 in this locality : — January 25th. — Two seen by John 

 Power on Scotch firs at Rockfield. June 5th. — The notes 

 as of a brood of Crossbills, flying over at Cappagh, heard 

 by John Power. October 12th. — I saw and heard a few. 

 October 17th. — Six feeding on Douglas fir. October 

 23rd. — John Power saw a Crossbill with a horse-chestnut 

 in its bill. October 24th. — Crossbills heard at Cappagh. 

 November 3rd. — One seen at Cappagh. I also saw four 

 Crossbills on the roof of Woodstock House, where they 

 had probably gone to drink out of the eave-gutters, as is 

 their frequent habit. 



These few intermittent notices may betoken a fresh arrival 

 of Crossbills when taken in connection with the great 

 invasion of 1909 into western Europe, including the 

 British Isles, but the birds seen of late were few and far 

 between as compared with those that frequented the 

 Cappagh woods before 1904 (R. J. Ussher). 

 Co. Down. — A flock (about a dozen) at Hillsborough on 

 July 12th, 1909. About six on November 30th, and 

 about a dozen on December 3rd (N. H. Foster). 

 Co. Kildare. — Six at Morristown Biller, Newbridge, on 

 November 16th, 1909, about twenty on the 20th. Heard 

 nearly every day since up to December 11th, 1909 

 (Major B. R. Horsbrugh). 



Scotland. — A very large flock near Inverness on October 

 1st, 1909 {H. R. Leach). 



DIMORPHISM IN THE CROSSBILL. 



Some time ago I took the trouble to investigate with a large 

 series the question raised by Mr. Stubbs, viz., the relative 

 positions of the mandibles in the Crossbills, and I will here 

 give my results : — 



Loxia curvirostra curvirostra, L. 



Upper mandible to the right 

 left 

 Loxia curvirostra himalay crisis (Blyth). 

 Upper mandible to the right 

 left 

 Loxia curvirostra americana (Wils.). 

 Upper mandible to the right 

 left 



